Boy’s face ripped after being impaled on spike
SIX-year-old Alfie Albrighton may be scarred for life’ after tearing his face free when he got impaled in railings playing outside his home. Now Alfie’s mum has made a desperate plea tonight to housing bosses on their estate in London’s East End to protect other children from a spiky fence which she says has been left unprotected since his accident
By Else Kvist Photo: Carmen Valino
SIX-year-old Alfie Albrighton may be scarred for life’ after tearing his face free when he got impaled on spiked railings playing outside his home.
Now Alfie’s mum has made a desperate plea tonight to housing bosses on their estate in London’s East End to protect other children from a spiky fence which she says has been left unprotected since his accident six weeks ago.
Clare Metson, 32, told the East London Advertiser how Alfie ripped his face while playing Hide and Seek with friends on the lawn by Rowan House where they live on the Monteith Estate in Old Ford.
“Alfie came running home with his mouth hanging off,” she said. “His lip had come away and was hanging like a flap.
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“I could see his teeth even though his mouth was shut. He was in so much shock he didn’t realise what had actually happened.”
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Clare explained: “Alfie jumped on to an electrical box when trying to follow others over the fence to get away from friends chasing them. He then slipped and impaled his face.”
Alfie managed to pull himself off—which may have worsened his injuries.
He was taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel where he underwent four-and-half hours of surgery and had to have 170 stitches. He was kept in for three days.
“They bandaged his face up to hold it together,” Clare added.
“He was so distressed and frightened he was going to die. He lost half-a-stone since the accident because he was scared to eat and was crying all the time.”
Alfie has been off school since the June 11 accident and is due to start Year-2 at St John’s Primary in Bow in September.
FEAR
But he is afraid of going back for fear of what other pupils will think of his scared face.
“It has changed him completely,” his mum added. “He is always hiding his face trying not to look at people.
“Before he was a happy Jack-the-lad, your typical East End boy joker. Now he is scarred for life and will need plastic surgery later.”
She is urging Old Ford Housing Association which runs the Monteith Estate near Victoria Park to make the metal fence safer by covering the spikes with a bar like other sections of fence. She hasn’t heard “a single thing” from them since filling in a compensation claim, she revealed.
But the Advertiser understands officials from Old Ford Housing are visiting the estate tomorrow (Thursday) to examine the railings after being contacted by the newspaper.
